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'He started to pass comments to me about 'I can't actually pull the trigger, I am trying to pull the trigger'.

'Two senior workers tucked in behind me as we all realised it was for real and I just thought, 'I have got to get this gun, I need to take the gun off him.'

'I went towards him and I got closer and closer and he was just shaking. The gun was going between him and myself.

Police are investigating after Rita King, 81, was allegedly shot dead at De La Mer House care home in Essex by her 86-year-old husband Ronald (pictured right is Mrs King being wheeled out of the care home)

Police have arrested Ronald King, 86, on suspicion of murdering his wife at De La Mer House in Essex

'I just said, 'Please, please, give me the gun. Don't do anything silly'. He did not respond – he did not fight me. He just handed me the gun.' Mrs Curtis, 57, said there were still four bullets in the gun as the confused pensioner told her he wanted to kill himself too, but had been unable to.

Mrs King, 81, had been wheeled into the lounge at De La Mer House care home, in Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex, just minutes earlier. Mrs Curtis said the couple, who married in 1966, spent Christmas together after Mr King arrived for a week of respite care.

The couple ate breakfast together before it is believed Mr King fetched his 1934 Enfield revolver from his room where he is suspected of stashing it after a Boxing Day taxi ride home.

A body is removed from the building after Rita King, 81, was allegedly shot by her husband, 86

Officers have been guarding the premises while forensic teams carry out investigations

Essex Police have confirmed a revolver has been recovered from the scene which will be examined by forensic and ballistic experts

Mrs Curtis added: 'The most shocking thing was to find out there was another four bullets in that gun and realising it could have ended up a lot worse. As far as I am aware, there was only one shot fired.'

Mrs Curtis said the couple enjoyed Christmas Day together in high spirits, drinking Buck's Fizz.

She said: 'She was quite smiley on Christmas morning and had Buck's Fizz in bed and she was quite smiley.

'She was quite content really. She would just sit and watch what everybody was up to and the fact she had her husband here for Christmas seemed to quite please her.

'He was a real gentleman and when we spoke to him, there was no indication that anything was going to happen.'

Mr King remained in custody last night where he was being questioned on suspicion of murder. The retired insurance agent, originally from Ilford, north-east London before moving to Essex with his wife, is known to friends as Ronnie, The couple had no children but Mr King was one of 15 siblings.

Friends suspect he was driven to carry out a 'mercy killing' over the rapidly failing health of his wife, who had Alzheimer's. They said Mr King, who had only one arm, had been under increasing pressure and his wife had moved to the home six months ago.

Residents have spoken of hearing shots this morning and said they were shocked by the incident

Neighbours have also said security was 'tight' at the home, pictured, with electronic door locks

Officers have confirmed the shooting took place in a communal area and residents were 'shaken'

Members of Goodmayes Bowling Club in Essex said the couple were regular players until Mrs King suffered a fall, triggering her decline.

Brian Regan, 74, who played alongside them for a decade, said: 'They were devoted to each other. We used to go out to bowling functions together and coach trips. They were always stuck together like glue.

'He was happy-go-lucky. They were just a normal couple. It is a complete shock.'

Police suspect the Enfield six-shot gun may have been kept by Mr King after post-war military service, although it is now a serious offence to own one. It was the standard sidearm issued to soldiers between 1932 and 1957.

BANNED: THE UK HAS SOME OF THE STRICTEST GUN LAWS IN THE WORLD

The possession of guns in the UK is prohibited under the Firearms Act, which was extended to include almost all handguns after the Dunblane massacre in 1996.

Guns banned by the act include fully automatic weapons such as submachine guns, semi-automatic rifles and pistols, although some weapons can be kept legally by obtaining a firearm certificate.

To get a certificate a person must apply through their local police force and supply references, and you must prove to the chief officer that you would not pose any danger to the public.

Certificates are usually valid for five years before they must be renewed, but they can apply to multiple firearms.

Such licences apply to handguns and semi-automatic weapons but certificates cannot be obtained for machine guns, which require explicit permission from the Home Office to own.

Shotguns with a capacity of up to three rounds have less stringent rules around them but require shotgun certificates to possess, which also require police permission.

There are some exceptions including revolver pistols that are legal for the express purpose of the humane putting down of animals.

Firearm certificates are also required to buy live ammunition rounds.

The penalty for possessing a firearm illegally is up to 14 years in prison and an unlimited fine.

Exceptions to the ban include starter pistols for races and engraved or jewelled guns.